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What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

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Friday, August 20, 2010

Friday Finds & a Freebie Too

I had my car back today (finally!) so I decided I really needed to find some yard sales. I decided this despite the fact that I know the first weekend after school starts is never the best time for sales. There usually aren't many sales, and the ones that I do find, have mostly kid stuff from cleaning out closets for Back to School shopping. Today was no exception to that rule - I had to drive further than I planned to find only a handful of sales. I even went to an Estate Sale up on Country Club hill to an ultra swanky house that was chock full of fabulous things from all around the world. I bought a few things there, but mostly I just went to snoop inside a million dollar home.

Here's all the loot. I know the photo is in the shadows, but it was over 100 today and I couldn't bear to stand in the direct sun.

I needed another chippy old stool like a hole in my head (if this photo panned out, you would see four more various metal and wooden stools sitting on my porch). But this one is sturdy as all get out, chippy white and has a Formica top. And, it was only $3.00. (From the million dollar home, might I add...)

The Inuit Doll is all hand made and hand sewn from a variety of fur. I don't like fur things, but I understand the use of fur in Native items. The wooden shelf sitting rabbit is from the M$H and is from Russia. The shadow box is made of older yardsticks from the hardware store we shopped at when I was a kid. The tiny wooden rabbit is from the M$H and is from Czechoslovakia. The little bird duo is a Leo Ward. The wee pitcher is for my miniature pottery collection - even though it is carved from a piece of wood.

Girly Stuff. I do not, as a general rule, buy Girly Stuff. That shows you how limited the JUNK was today. The scarves came from a sale that had nothing but clothing items. There was a laundry basket full of scarves and I looked through every.single scarf looking for a Vera for Sue, but I didn't find a single Vera. (Sorry Sue.) I did find a couple Oscar de la Renta scarves and a couple touristy ones. They were priced 50¢ each, but when I went to pay, the lady only charged me a dime each. If I would have known they were that cheap, I would have just sprung for the whole box and sorted through it in the luxury of my air conditioned house and not in the 125 degree garage. The four old costume necklaces aren't anything special, but for 25¢ each, the beads can be used for something.

I got these old sewing machine thread boxes at a "Thatsa" sale. As soon as I started looking at something, the lady having the sale would take it out of my hands and say, "THATSA box of ribbon!" or "THATSA box of seashells!" Thanks lady, I have EYES you know. That is my biggest pet peeve at yard sales. Leave me alone - you can visit with me, but let me look at your junk with my own eyes. Thankyouverymuch. When I did pay for these empty boxes, she looked at me like I fell off the turnip truck..."These are empty....?" she said. Yes, I know. Then she said, "How about a dollar each?" One minute she thinks I am buying trash, the next minute she wised up and put a buck each on them. She finally said, "Oh, three for everything." So, that was a bit better.

The Bean spotted this hanging on the stairwell at the M$H. A vintage metal hard hat! $$ Cha-ching! It's a mining hat and belonged to a big shot up in Alaska for ARCO Gasoline. I have his name, so I am going to do a bit of research on him before I list the hat. Provenance, you know.....

This cool table was FREE. Monday when I went out to get the mail, I noticed a truck in the driveway next door. The house was abandoned last November, so there hasn't been any activity other than the bank mowing it from time to time. A man came out of the house and said hello to me. Then he said something to me that make my heart swoon. Words I have only dreamed of hearing. "Do you want to look around and take anything in this house before I take it to the dump?" Uh, yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The family that lived there had two little girls and good taste. They had taken most of their belongings, but had left a good amount too. This table was in the living room. There was a big nice computer desk, but I didn't have any use for it. There was a lot of newer baby things - double stroller, carrier, car seat, toys, dolls, little table and chairs, ride on elephant toy and some knick knacks. There were also about eight huge bags stuffed full and I don't have any idea what was in there. He told me to take it all. But, I wasn't prepared to take it all without any notice. I fear The Breadman would have officially had "a cow" if he came home and I had all that crap lined up in the driveway. But, I really should have taken it. I could have put some on Craigslist and donated the rest. I could of had a yard sale of my own. I coulda been a contender.....I digress.

I told the guy that if he would line it all up in the driveway that I would put a CURB ALERT on Craigslist (after I dug through it all, of course) and I knew it would all be gone quickly. He said that he had to remove it by the end of the day, or he wouldn't get paid. I still thought he was going to put it in the ditch, but he just loaded it all up in the truck. Even a lawn mower, a trampoline and a basketball goal. All that stuff...just gone to the landfill. It's such a shame. He told me that he cleans out three or four houses a week just like that - some are completely full. And, he just takes it all to the landfill. Kind of makes me want to start a clean out business of my own. In the end, the table and a wooden VooDoo mask that The Bean scored were my only scores.

9 comments:

Hey lady...you wanna sell that pink necklace to me? I don't know if it is moonglow or not, but I just like it and need one that colour. (Or maybe we could do a little trade of some sort).Let me know. You know where to find me...lol.

Great scores even in the heat. To me the dumping of all that stuff in the landfill is such a waste and so sad!!! I hate to know that items so many others who need things are going to waste! Sad. Still glad you could get what you could!!

Well, aren't you ladies smart! I've never heard of Moonglow Lucite. And, I thought I knew everything. (HA) It's not perfect - one of the strands is not connected correctly. I'll have to see if I can restring it. I'll get with you Hope!

What I can't understand is why the guy had to take all of that stuff to the dump. Surely there is a local shelter, woman's charity, or GW or Salvation Army that would have been glad to have the items???It is such a waste when there are so many people out there that could use either the items or the money that I charity could generate by selling them. Our world is way toooo disposable these days.Debbie

Ooo I love the girly stuff! That is different for you. I have a large collection of Vera scarves if you'd like one for your friend just let me know! There are only a few that I wouldn't part with which would leave her quite a choice lol.

I love my comments. I'd love to respond to everyone, but if you don't have an email address tied to your ID, please sign your name so I will know who you are! It makes it nice to know who is saying what. Now, leave a comment! Please? ;o)

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About Me

I am the curator or a small house crammed to the rafters with vintage goodness. I love finding old stuff, making it new again and reselling it in my flea market booth. Mostly, I like to keep it! :) BUT! More than all that - I love where I live in NW Arkansas. Beautiful country with lots of great things to see and do. Sometime it's about the junk. Sometimes it's about the journey.

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Hazel

Hazel is a 1950''s Buster Brown Mannequin. I purchased her at the Estate of a dear lady I knew. She worked at Woolsworth for many years and rescued the mannequin from the store when she was about to be thrown out. Hazel has become a member of our family! (I never had a girl, you know!)